The week started well as the last print (being the chest) of 45 items needed for a BraQ Dragon was prised off the printer after about 16 hours. So a printing project came to an end after 3 months of blood, sweat and tears getting the parts printed. Yes BQ Labs it’s a challenge to print; mesh errors in the STL files, filament that won’t cool down enough, printer breaking parts, bending the z-axis threaded rod, you name it happened. Would I print another maybe but give it a few weeks.

Want to see 3D Printers sprint like top class sprinters then tune in to MMFTV http://www.myminifactory.com/tv/list on the 23rd March. Each printer owner has been given a set model to print in the quickest time, it’s like turning up 3D Printing to eleven. The model is 50.0mm x 20.33mm x 46.6mm and it’s been estimated to take about 40mins to print. I’m thinking get the time down to about 20-30 minutes you have a chance of wining 10 reels of filament. It’s going to be tough and close battle to finish the print first.

Don’t forget if you need a 3D design printed, you can always upload it to my 3D Hub profile, its always nice to see items being printed from others designs, also helps the printer earn it’s keep. Upload you design here https://www.3dhubs.com/brighton-hove/hubs/3dprintandstuff

Also if you in the Brighton and Hove Area, visit Coachwerks Wholefoods for physical stock of printer filament; Currently I have two types of HD Glass in 1.75mm; Soon I will have some filament in 2.85mm to cater for those that use the larger size.

It’s Friday – BraQ Dragon – Cooling – Contempt

Been making good progress printing the parts needed for BraQ Dragon. If you check out my Instagram account you will see the photos of the prints. If you like what you see please follow as I will be uploading other prints and photos.
So far with the dragon I have printed 34 parts out of 42 (maybe 43, not totally sure). Currently as I write this post the print is printing the final 2 parts of the neck giving a total of 8 rather than Seven; Maybe they started counting from zero when naming the parts. Have about 2 large parts and small part which is the chest, the right upper wing and the lower jaw.

Progress of printing the dragon has been delayed for various reasons, machine breakdown needing replacement threaded rod, lack of cooling causing high spots upon the layers which then catch the 2nd nozzle (I have a duel extruder set-up) this causes the x-axis stepper to skip resulting in the next layer being too far over from the last. Original estimations on the amount of filament needed for this dragon was only 95 metres, I’m currently on my second 1kg reel (each reel is ~330 metres) which sort of show the amount of failed prints that I have encountered.

Upon reading this blog post http://www.desiquintans.com/coolingtests#thingstested and this one http://www.desiquintans.com/coolingtests2
I was able to learn a bit more about cooling down the filament as it comes out of the nozzle, as the filament I was using to print the dragon was proving that it held it’s heat well so that previous layers would be too soft for the next layer to sit upon correctly. One way to combat this overheating problem is to reduce the hot-end temperature and print speed. Only problem with this is increased print time and skipping extruder motor due to strain of pushing less than fluid filament though a small hole. The blog post also show some great designs of cooling ducts available to print via thingiverse. It also made the suggestion that using a blower type fan rather an axial fan provides better air pressure and flow. Which when you think about it the more pre-built machines have Centrifugal fans aka blowers rather axial fans.

Axial Fans

An axial fan is one in which the extracted air is pulled through the impeller, parallel to the shaft around which the blades rotate.

Centrifugal Fans

Centrifugal fans extract air at right angles to the intake of the fan, and spin the air outwards to the outlet by deflection and centrifugal force. The impeller rotates, causing air to enter the fan near the shaft and move perpendicularly from the shaft to the opening in the fan casing. This allows the fan to produce more pressure for a given air volume, and is thus able to ‘push’ the extracted air along much longer duct runs. Centrifugal fans are usually more expensive than axial fans.http://www.extractorfanworld.co.uk/axial-fans-v-centrifugal-fans-61-c.asp

So after obtaining a 75mm x 35mm blower fan and printing a few items from thingiverse. I have been able to mount an improved cooling fan upon my printer. This been a great addition to my printer’s ability to produce good looking prints. It also allowed me to increase the hot-temperature back up to the correct temperature of 200 degrees C. which improved the flow of filament.

Contempt

This came about as this morning I was reading my twitter @3dprintandstuff feed and I came across this tweet which stated that copyright was doomed due to 3dprinting and that they provided a link to the nefertiti hack. So I tweeted back the only thing that’s is doomed about copyright is peoples understanding of it. The creator is prob dead as copyright lasts the life of the creator plus 70 years. To which the reply the irony is lost with you regarding my tweet I’m very anti-copyright & patents. I think 3D printing is great. I replied with “if I designed a print and it had a non-commercial licence attached to it. It would be better to ask me first before selling it with an agreement.”

They then replied asking what’s copyright? I replied it’s protection and law which looks out for the creator to protect their work. To which they replied “copyright and patents stifle innovation, harm creative ideas sharing and are hindrance to technological advancements” which I replied okay so I break into your house take all your stuff placed it on eBay, maybe sell some items. You are going to be pissed but then there is no respect or protection so there.
Might have chosen an bad example as theft is not the same as copyright infringement. I was trying to say that copyright gives protection against that and jail time with other. They saw it as a threat but I sated it was just an example.

Their response was oh that covered by the “don’t be a duck” internet rule. I was like WTF that would stand up in court, you would be charged with contempt. Their view was we don’t have copyright rules we have a “don’t be a duck” internet rule. This was also a new one for me as I have also heard this one “don’t be a dick” The previous one is even close to “don’t give a fcuk” What wonderful negatively we get from fellow humans when upon the internet and in IRL when things are misunderstood or not know about. I believe that he UK version of the copyright act together with Creative commons licences provides good protection of work when both parties abide by the rules set out in each of them.

It’s better to be more human, try to understand, stop being like a machine;
As the machine has less of an idea than the human controlling the machine

It’s Friday – First post of 2016 – Quick-Set Upgrade Kit

It’s been a long time since I last posted been busy since November.
Printed some Christmas related items, Snowmen, Xmas trees, 2d and 3d snowflakes which I then sold at Craft and Christmas fairs during December.

One upgrade I was able to get before their closure was the duel extruder hardware which replaced the single piece with a PTFE liner nozzle with a nice one-piece nozzle. Also bought a quick-set upgrade kit which makes the assembly of the hot end so much easier as you don’t need to butt up two pieces within the heater block and the Bowden tube just screws straight in and out. Clearing out a blocked nozzle is so straight forward as you just unscrew the tube and you have straight access to the inside. I been looking into replacing the parts within the Quick-Set upgrade kit, have found a supplier for the nozzles. Now need to find a company that can produce the cooling and hot-end block.

Have been requested to print a BraQ Dragon https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:854575
Which is to-date is the greatest item that has several pieces that I have printed upon my printer. It’s looking like it larger than the photo shows when it’s competed printing and been assembled. Slowly getting the print settings correct for the filament used and printer so able to produce suitable prints. Currently printed 10 items out of 42, which doesn’t sound like many but it’s almost half done. Problems with the x-carriage and z-axis has generated a little too much down time and scrap prints. BqLabs do state it’s a challenge of your printer. Surfaces of the prints are quite transparent when viewed with light behind them. As they suggest printing at 0.2 layer height and 10% infill. Photos of the completed prints are posted upon my Instagram account.

The New Year started well, as I was able to process my first order from the web site. It was the generated from an announcement by RepRapPro closure was posted upon the their web-site upon the first day back (4th Jan 2016), stated that they would stop trading on the 15th Jan 2016. It was sad to hear that they decided to close, as one of the directors Adrian Bowyer invented the Rap Rap project back in 2005; A project upon which most 3D printers have been made and companies set-up to support them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RepRap_Project

It’s Friday – Been Calibrating and Printing with Wax

Since the last update, I had noticed that my printer wasn’t printing squares correctly. I found that they were OK dimension wise on the X and Y directions but out on one set of corners. The dimensions were out by 1-2mm now for a printer that’s accuracy is plus or minus 0.5mm, that just not right and needs a fix.

By printing calibration squares I was able to track down that the problem was in the X-axis direction. everything was 90 degrees to itself, so no major problems found there. I sort of noted that the x-carriage had too much roll as it moved up and down its axis. This would move the nozzle so its not 90 degrees to the bed, so I enlisted a friend to print me the old style x-carriage with the bearing running along the back edge of the x-rib. This design suited my printer better as I had a metal x-rib and wouldn’t be effected by the flex that was present in the acrylic one and the reason for new design with the bearing running on the lower edge. So the part arrived from my friend printed in nice blue ABS (helps parts near hot-end not get affected by the heat). A quick once over with a file was needed but fitted quite nicely and together with a bolt at 90 degrees to the X axis so to push the bearing onto the x-rib. I was able to get the hot-end assembly 90 degrees to the print bed and stay there as it moved up and down it’s axis.

This then resulted in the problem moving to the Y-axis, which was good as it showed that part of the problem was the excessive roll on the x-axis was a problem sorted. A quick tighten on the belts of Y axis and a few more calibration squares, also found printing longer distance is better for getting good steps-per-mm figures and now the printer is printing squares with good corners and look square.

Decided to try a gear wheel print with some wax filament that I had obtained from MachinableWax based in the US. Had problems with them not sticking to my PVA glass plate, which I might be related to the bed temp being too high might be the problem, as it was suggested on a note that came with the filament that a suitable bed temperature should be 60-75 degrees c so that’s what a set it to but it didn’t stick at all. As it’s from the US and they use imperial measurement for temperature I.E Fahrenheit so I don’t think it’s been converted to Celsius correctly as 60f is 15 degrees C which when you think about wax colder would be better when it comes to sticking. An order from my 3D hub prevented any more testing, so when I get the chance I will have another go printing with wax.

Also this week I have signed up to take part in the 3D Hubs worldwide 3D Printing Day being held on the 3rd December. If you are in the Brighton and Hove Area of the UK, then please come along to Coachwerks, 19A Hollingdean Terrace, Brighton between 5pm and 9pm to see 3D printing in action.

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It’s Friday – Been printing and cooling

Been printing a few items this week so able to handle loose filament and samples without all the fuss of tangles and knots during a print. To help with this I printed the Faberdashery Spool design found on Thingiverse https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:312471

Upon the Ormerod 2 printer mounting a large reel or one that are not RepRapPro size is a bit of a problem. There are 2 solutions to this problem, which you can either design an extension piece or use air tripper reel rollers available in store Printed PartNeeded Hardware

Not yet tried the extension piece with a full reel but then it’s easy to design another extension which is fitted onto lower left bolt after removing part of spacer which holds the triangle away from the v-slot.

Also printed some Appjaws Anti Vibration stands https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:498521 which has raised the printer up from the desk. If you wish to get first look at my prints as they come off the printer. You can follow me on instagram and Twitter

On to cooling prints, I have has loads of problems with prints being overheated, causing lift/high points upon layers and having zits on the sides, (also problems with damp filament) I have been in contact with RepRap Pro support about having height issues, as the base of the cooling fan duct was touching the print bed before the nozzles, not going to work like that. Yesterday I got round to putting the nozzles the correct way round so would clear the underside of the x-carriage and fan duct fits, it’s close to print bed but not close enough.

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It’s Friday – not cooling – A weekly update 16/10/2015

This week,

Completed printing the bottom half of the anemometer that I was printing for a geography project for a student. Made up some ABS glue (melt ABS in acetone) and used it to glue together the two half’s of the designed model.

Here is photo of the completed print, you can see a little scaring from the support material but it didn’t affect the operation or add weight, due to the project using a hard drive bearing it only took a small blow upon the vanes to spin.

A friend of mine delivered the cooling fan housing printed in ABS; As it withstands the heat from the hot end better than PLA does. So I set about fitting the part only to find out that I’m not able to zero the Z axis as the fan housing hits the print bed before the nozzles. So I raised a support ticket with RepRapPro and they suggested that I had an older version of the fan spacer, the part upon which the cooling fan is placed. So using the file that they sent me I was able to get one laser cut, didn’t look that diffident from the old one, some outer parts removed but not the mount lug for the fan housing, so not able get enough clearance between housing and print bed to allow a good working Z height. So I have sent another photo of my set-up to see if they can see the problem. I’m thinking it’s going to take a redesign of the fan spacer to offer the clearance needed.

Other things this week was almost felt the need to become a firearms dealer, as I was trying to sell a blank firing gun for a friend of mine but having problems trying to find some where I could sell it, send it by post, make sure that person receiving it was OK to have it, without setting off an armed response, guns have never been my thing. Internet research showed a lot of grey area as it was OK to send a working air pistol by parcel-force

Arms and Ammunition All firearms, other than low-powered air weapons sent within the UK (air rifles, air guns and air pistols), including imitations and antiques; paint-ball or toy guns; taser guns; components of firearms and all other items similar to, or resembling, the foregoing are prohibited. All ammunition other than lead pellets and other air gun and airsoft projectiles is also prohibited.

That’s a no then on sending a blank firing sporting gun AKA a starter pistol but you can send low powered items

Arms and Ammunition – low powered air weapons Low-powered air weapons (air rifles, air guns and air pistols), together with lead pellets and other air gun and airsoft projectiles, can be sent but are subject to the following conditions:

These items must be sent on an express48 service only

These items must be sent via the Post Office only

Enhanced compensation cover is not available

Seems a bit the wrong way around; You can’t send something that might not work out of the box but are able to send fully working low powered firearm. It’s a YES and NO for the UK but total NO for international, which is totally understandable as most international mail tends to go by plane.

So I paid a visit to Mail Boxes Etc in Brighton for their advice. They advised that it could be sent as sporting gun and by special delivery so it needs a signature upon delivery signed for. I also ensured that the person receiving the item was the correct age and had the required knowledge of this type of firearm.

Helped a Farther and Son team by printing an anemometer which they had designed upon Tinkercad
It was quite large 187mm x 187mm x 60mm so just about fitted upon my printer. Due to it standing upon the outer edge of the circles it would have needed a lot of support material, so I decided to cut the model in half horizontally and print a top part and then the bottom half which reduced the print time from 15 hours for the complete print to 5-6hrs for each part, also reduced the amount of support material needed. There is a 2 min video showing the first few layers being printed upon my You Tube Channel I will be placing further videos there so if you wish please subscribe.

With the anemometer I printed the top half yesterday and started printing the bottom half or I tried to; as I applied some oil to the printer’s axis shafts which caused one of the bearings to come out on the Y axis dropping the platform down and needing to stop the print. Next the X-axis bearing would stick at one end causing the stepper to skip and put the next layer down about 5mm away from the previous layer, not a good way to get a good print, so stopped the machine again only about 20 layers in. Re-levelled the bed and applied a brim to the print as I noticed problems with layers lifting, it’s been going OK so far, it’s about half way though and due to finish between 8-9pm tonight.
I Will post photos upon instagram once it’s completed.

Thinking about printing some designs for Halloween or printing the duel colour cat design upon Rep Rap Pro’s git hub page which is linked to above.

Have also added some more items to my store and any suggestions or comments below are welcome.

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It’s been about 4 weeks since hosting the table for e-Nable at the 2015 Brighton Mini Maker Faire.

Shortly after the end of faire. I moved in to a creative shared desk space called The Light Room in Coachwerks, 19A Hollingdean Terrace, Brighton BN1 7HB, United Kingdom. It’s part of the werks group and more details can be found here http://www.werksgroup.org.uk/portfolio/coachwerks/

I mostly used it to run my Ormerod 3D printer, as it’s a better place than at home, also gets the idea of 3D printing out there. I’m active on twitter @3dprintandstuff also have an instagram account at 3dprintandstuff where I upload photos of current prints.

This week I have looked at using Fusion 360 to change and design some 3D prints; As I was able to pick up a licensed copy as I’m a start-up. Also printing new parts for my ormerod, which have been a tongue and extruder drive housing. I’m having problems with the 2nd extruder motor jamming and I believe the large gear wheel is being held off-centre vertically to the little gear so causing the jam to occur intermittently.

The extruder motor housing print has just finished, so I will publish this and let you know if it sorts out the problem that I’m having next week. Hopefully these posts will occur on a weekly update basis.

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Supporting e-Nable at Brighton Mini Maker Faire 2015

A while back the call went out to makers in the Brighton & Hove and the UK, that the maker faire team were looking for makers to attend this year’s 2015 Brighton Mini Maker Faire, which takes over The Corn exchange for about 2 days (including setting up on the Friday evening) with interesting projects, some loud bangs and stuff that you wouldn’t see anywhere else.

So put in an application form for a table and explained the project I was going to show my work supporting e-Nable, then I posted that I was presenting a table upon the e-Nable google plus group asking for help and any information I could use to explain the work that the group does. In reply to this post I was able to produce the following

Laminated A3 prints to display on the maker stand

information, which needed to be redesigned/printed at A3 size and laminated by a local company called Lollipop http://lollipopbrighton.co.uk/ . I was also able to recruit a member from the community; Mr Drew Murray came to my aid, which I was grateful for and gave the stand good presence within the maker faire.

So moving on to Friday the 4th September, the night before the main event. I trucked my 3D printer to The Dome and laid out the information upon the stand.

As seen in the photo; then I helped Jason Hotchkiss fix his Hammer Pong project, spoke to a few other makers, received a call from Drew, then grabbed some pizza; there was a lack of beer but no worries about that, as last year I drunk too much and had a hangover the next day (not a good day).

Woke up early on the Saturday morning, received a text from Drew that he was at the venue. Along with the items that he had brought along it filled the table to the point it was overflowing with cool and wonderful examples of 3D printing and prosthetics. So the table became like this:

The little blue and red Marvin’s, the children of the large red Marvin decided to go AWOL from the stand, hopefully ending up some where nice. So the fair started and the stand became busy. All the children wanted to try on the devices and though some guidance got how they worked. Drew had brought along the items and his process used for producing devices for recipients. Met and spoke to various people and gained experience from seeing/talking with real persons born without limbs or lost due to an accident. Towards the end, the voice starts to go, legs start to acne. So the end came, packed down the gear and put away the printer; Drew had to make the trip back so didn’t stay for the after party, which was at a local public house called the Mash Tun. I had to get my gear back home so trucked it back and then got the bus back. I then went to meeting place to find the others, only found the maker faire team there, others arrived later. Enjoyed hanging out with them and always grateful for the drink. Later on moved on to Thai eating place for some food and geeky and nerdy discussions with the maker faire crew and Just Add Sharks . Did you know that Ada Fruit are stocking the blue-ray copy of hackers? Yo man….it’s Zero Cool….man I thought you were black! Hack the planet !! What pod casts you listen to etc… You get the idea?

Finally it came to part of the night to make it back home; discussing another other strange event that while I was on a night bus at about 2-3am this happened. With a deaf couple sitting in front of me having a tiff and someone at back getting very upset with the journey time. Than having the need to walk the last 5-10 mins home because someone decided to take out the luggage window upon the bus by hitting it, so the bus got taken out of service and then explaining to the deaf couple what had gone on and they needed to leave the bus….oh the wonders of the night bus.

Many thanks to the Maker Faire team for putting on the Maker Faire and the support from the e-Nable community. Don’t forget to browse the store or comment below or contact me if something you would like or need some help with.

3D print and stuff’s website is a collection of tools, projects and products that I have found useful when using a 3D Printer also during the build process from a kit to assembled printer. Items listed within the store are sourced from UK based suppliers (where possible) so the time waiting to receive your ordered item, is as quick as it can be.

I’m a maker/engineer, and have spent a lot of time adjusting, improving and using 3D printers since 2011.

I take 2D/3D Designs and able to turn them into physical objects; Also able to produce bespoke parts for repair and replacement by turning them into objects using 3D Printing.